Directing
Maurice Elvey
Born 1887-11-11 · Stockton-on-Tees, England, UK
Maurice Elvey was born in Stockton-on-Tees, County Durham, England, the oldest son of William Clarence Folkard, an inspecting engineer, and Sarah Anna Seward Folkard (formerly Pearce). He never had a formal education, and was working on the streets of London by the age of nine after having run away from home. For a time he worked as a page boy in the Hyde Park Hotel, and a lucky encounter with a wealthy American set him on the road to a career in first the theatre and then in films. It was while in New York when working as a stage producer that he saw his first film, The Flying Dutchman (1923). This made such an impression on him that when he came back to England he was determined to produce and direct films; thus began a career spanning 44 years, during which time he made over 300 feature films and innumerable shorts. Amongst the "firsts" that Maurice Elvey can claim as a director are: Gaumont's first talking film (High Treason (1929)) and the first British colour film Sons of the Sea (1939)). Carol Reed and David Lean began their distinguished careers in film by working for him, and he directed Gracie Fields in her first movie, Sally in Our Alley (1931). Maurice Elvey was the older brother of Fred V. Merrick, and during the 1920s and 1930s they worked on a number of films together. In May 1996 the world premiere of a long-lost film about David Lloyd George, directed by Elvey, took place in Cardiff more than 70 years later than scheduled. The three-hour film was suppressed on the eve of its release under circumstances that have still not been fully explained. The film was acclaimed by cinema historians as a milestone in film making, and it is believed that had it been released in 1918, as originally planned, it may well have changed the course of British cinema. Maurice Elvey was married three times. His first marriage took place on 31st December 1910 to Adeline Maud Charlton Preston (aka actress 'Philippa Preston'. This marriage ended in divorce. He then married Florence Hill Clarke (a sculptor) on 2nd February 1916. This marriage, too, ended in divorce. On 13th January 1923 he married Isabella Reed (aka actress Isobel Elsom), but this marriage also ended in divorce. As Elvey's niece and god-daughter I was privileged to unveil a plaque in April 1997 at the Green Dragon Museum, Stockton-on-Tees as part of the Centenary of Cinema Celebrations.
Acting credits
A wealthy landowner kills his pregnant mistress and buries her body, but his mother has a strange dream that just may bring his crime to light. Based on an actual murder that happened in 1828.
Maria Marten or The Mystery of the Red Barn
1913
NRA wealthy landowner kills his pregnant mistress and buries her body, but his mother has a strange dream that just may bring his crime to light. Based on an actual murder that happened in 1828.
Maria Marten, or Murder in the Red Barn
1913
A goalkeeper is kidnapped just before the Cup Final at Crystal Palace. Can he be rescued in time for a triumphant match?
The Cup Final Mystery
1914
A short drama about a doctor's wife who returns to him after a flirtation in Richmond Park, London. It is based on the painting by John Collier.
The Fallen idol
1913
Behind the camera
10.0'The story of Lady Dedlock's secret and the tragic consequences of its exposure.' (British Film Institute)
Bleak House
1920
'1850. Squire's grandson saves farmer's niece from charge of murdering illegitimate baby.' (British Film Catalogue)
Adam Bede
1918
6.3Deborah and Charles, young executives at the thriving Pontifex Advertising Agency, are very much in love. Deborah is recognised by her employers as the most brilliant TV executive in the country, while Charles is regarded as 'thoroughly reliable'. But there is one hard-and-fast rule at the agency: the board of directors will not allow any married women on their staff; as soon as a girl marries, she must resign!
Second Fiddle
1957
4.8In this opera-oriented musical, Riccardo Gatti, an Italian young tenor in Venice, meets a young woman who sneaks into the opera house to try and get her fiancé hired as the orchestra's pianist.
My Song for You
1934
7.5A man takes the blame for a girl's crooked brother and weds her when her hand is amputated.
The Swindler
1919
6.3The final feature in the Eille Norwood Holmes series.
The Sign of Four
1923
6.3The final feature in the Eille Norwood Holmes series.
The Sign of Four
1923
6.0A fake psychic suddenly turns into the real thing when he meets a young beauty. (TCM)
The Clairvoyant
1935
No synopsis available yet.
Running Water
1922
7.0An orphan named Innocence leaves her county home after her foster-father dies. She travels to the city and makes a living as a novelist. Subsequently, she has an affair with a painter named Amadis de Jocelyn, who later dumps her.
Innocent
1921
8.0A typist threatens to expose her lover when he prosecutes the divorce of a woman he means to marry.
Sally Bishop
1923
NRThe film portrays the life of Florence Nightingale, particularly her innovations in nursing during the Crimean War (1854–56).
Florence Nightingale
1915
Papists hire a Dutchman to blow up Parliament in revenge for an anti-Catholic decree.
Guy Fawkes
1923
The dream of Paul Dombey, the wealthy owner of the shipping company, is to have a son to continue his business. Tragically, Dombey's wife dies shortly after giving birth to their son.
Dombey and Son
1917
The dream of Paul Dombey, the wealthy owner of the shipping company, is to have a son to continue his business. Tragically, Dombey's wife dies shortly after giving birth to their son.
Dombey and Son
1917
In France the Queen poisons the Huguenot Queen and weds her son to the King's sister as part of an assassination plan.
Henry, King of Navarre
1924
5.8A tribute to the important work of female nurses during World War II.
The Lamp Still Burns
1943
A man poses as a woman to fool a peeping tom.
Inquisitive Ike
1914
A king goes on strike and takes a holiday. A double is found to impersonate him who brings disgrace to the throne.
Change for a Sovereign
1937
In South America the wife of the president's son loves the leader of the revolution
Man and His Kingdom
1922
6.4A blackmailer is murdered, and the police find that there is a long list of suspects who wanted to see him dead.
House of Blackmail
1953
Lord Nelson's life, loves and death.
Nelson
1918
Vice Versa is a 1916 British silent fantasy film directed by Maurice Elvey and starring Charles Rock, Douglas Munro and Guy Newall.[1] It is an adaptation of the 1882 novel Vice Versa by Thomas Anstey Guthrie. The screenplay concerns a schoolboy who magically swaps places with his pompous father.
Vice Versa
—
6.4Sherlock Holmes (Eille Norwood) knows that a man has killed a former partner but he can't prove it unless he finds a dying detective who knows what really happened. Norwood would play Holmes in over thirty films and he's quite good in the role bring an intelligent looking character.
The Dying Detective
1921